SWABI: Six people, among them three Chinese engineers, lost their lives at an under-construction power house at Tarbela Dam when heavy scaffolding came crashing down in the small hours of Sunday morning.

Another 20 people suffered injuries in the accident at the site of the Tarbela Dam fourth extension project.

`There was complete confusion at the site after the accident,` said an official present on the occasion.

`It was a difficult task recovering bodies as there was a mountain of concrete and steel and the rescuers had to cut through both to recover their buried colleagues,` says the official.

Law enforcement agencies personnel also took part in the rescue work.

The rescue operation was launched immediately after the accident, yet it took rescuers 18 hours to clear the site and resume the construction activity.

Officials said it was not immediately known what had caused the accident. However, authorities have ordered an inquiry and asked for a report within next three days.

The Chinese are also expected to submit a report soon.

An of ficial recalled that workers often criticised the poor planning and lack of safety measures at the site.

Six of the 20 injured 10 each from Pakistan and China were said to be in critical condition. One of the Chinese was shifted to Islamabad from the Combined Military Hospital, Ghazi, where other injured are under treatment.

A state of emergency was declared at the CMH.

Among the Pakistani injured is an engineer, identified as Abubakar, and the rest arelabourers.

While the names of Chinese deceased or injured could not be ascertained, the Pakistanis killed were identified as Shahid Raza, Abdul Qadeer and Tariq. The former two belong to Layyah and the latter to Rahimyar Khan.

Relatives of those working at the project had to face a traumatic time because they were calling their near and dear ones after the TV channels broadcast news of the accident but there were no mobile phone signals in the area.

The $928 million project inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in February 2014 is expected to be completed in 2017.

The project, being implemented by the Chinese company Sinohydro, will produce 1,410MW of electricity.

Our Lahore Bureau contributed to the report